


Lupin Short Fiction Collection

by Tsushi



Category: Lupin III
Genre: F/M, FujiGoe, Implied Masturbation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Jiglup, M/M, Short Stories, jigoe, luzeni, mamo prequel, regency au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:15:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29739981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsushi/pseuds/Tsushi
Summary: Small moments of Lupin characters having emotional reactions to each other.This is a Lupin short fiction collection, all the stories are around 300 words or less. Many pairings, many tones and many topics. Rating and warnings will change, I will add tags as content is added. Each chapter is an isolated story.
Relationships: Arsène Lupin III/Zenigata Kouichi, Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Jigen Daisuke, Ishikawa Goemon XIII/Mine Fujiko, Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III
Comments: 11
Kudos: 86





	1. The First Time

The Fiat took the hilly terrain a bit roughly, chugging on the way up the inclines, but Lupin and Jigen weren’t on the run. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and a gentle breeze skimmed across the fields they passed, a seemingly endless ocean of tall green grass ebbing and bobbing alongside them.

Lupin's chest heaved a sigh, and he settled back into his seat, one hand loose on the wheel. 

The tenth mile of fields and prairies weren’t doing much for him, so Jigen asked.

“What’s the sigh for?”

Lupin’s jacket had long since been tossed into the back seat, but the sun was still warm on his shoulders. Jigen had commandeered the radio, and managed to find a station that paired well with the drive.

“I just realized this is the first time.”

Jigen grunted, “First time, what?”

Lupin rolled his shoulders and stifled a yawn. He could nap right here, curled up in the little yellow sunbeam in this little yellow car.

He laughed, but it was a quiet sort of laugh. “First time I ever felt sure that the person I’m working with isn’t going to turn on me and try to kill me.”

“Hm.” Jigen nodded. He understood. He had this moment months ago. But he couldn’t say it. He lit a cigarette and let the smoke trail out the open window.


	2. They're Very Competitive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata runs into a little trouble.
> 
> fic gift for SelSpeaks

Zenigata rarely saw Lupin’s gang running toward him. But even more rare was the sight of Jigen in the lead, spindly legs launching his bushy, wiry frame at a somehow intimidating speed. Only a stride behind, Lupin’s face was twisted in determination, hitting a serious, all-out sprint. Zenigata’s wide eyes somehow found a moment to blink, and Jigen was upon him, not even slowing or flinching, slamming into the inspector at full speed and throwing them both rolling to the ground.

It wasn’t the worst fall he’d had, and the man’s weight from atop him was slight, barely there. Same with Jigen’s horse, wheezing voice, as he barked out: “Mine!” 

Zenigata was too surprised to do anything but grab his hat from beside him. It didn’t fit when he put it on, and Jigen swiped it off Zenigata’s head. They’d gotten mixed up in the fall. Both hats returned to their rightful owners, the gunman struggled off of him, coughing, trying to catch his breath as Lupin and Goemon caught up.

Lupin ambled to a stop, bending over, hands on his knees, sucking in air. Ragged throat whining out a loud- “You cheated!”

Zenigata growled and scrambled to his feet. “What the hell are ya doin’?!” 

Goemon was the only man neither tousled nor gasping for breath. “They bet that whoever was able to knock you over first got the last cigarette.”

For a moment, Zenigata stared at them all, silent. He didn’t yell, he didn’t add so much as the jingling of handcuffs to the silence.

Then, the confusion on his face broke out into his voice. “Can’t you just... buy more?”

Both men replied instantly and intensely.

“NO!”


	3. LuZeni Regency AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata gets a letter from a scoundrel.
> 
> Regency AU Gift Fic for naterupan on Twitter

The gall of the man!

Zenigata’s dresser shook under the force of his palm, as he slammed the letter down onto it. How dare this Lupin the Third think he even deserved for this missive to be opened, let alone read and taken into consideration!

Lupin and his family were wealthy, but plagued with rumors and scandal. Despite their considerable influence and popularity, whispers of suspicion followed them. There was a difference between being well known and being infamous, and the Lupins were the latter. Lupin the Third himself was said to be shameless, and Zenigata knew that no good could come from associating with a man like that in any capacity.

He picked up a book that he had been neglecting for weeks, but was still unable to focus on it. Between every paragraph his eyes glanced up at the dresser. Curiosity was a ferocious opponent, worse than any others he faced. He glared at the letter as sternly as his face could manage, hoping to gain some added power over it. But it was still as intriguing as ever.

He knew if he opened it, his life would be filled with much more trouble than the satisfaction of opening it was worth. 

How correct he was, yet he opened it anyway.


	4. Their First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jigen and Lupin's first date.
> 
> Fic gift for holoscout on Twitter.

“Should I pull out a chair for you?”

Lupin was already on his way to do so. His suit was crisp, and as he passed, his sleeve brushed Jigen. Jigen could smell a touch of cologne. Instinctively, it put him in a bad mood. Lupin only wore that stuff when he was off trying to romance his bimbo-of-the-week. It was the smell of an empty hideout and a lonely night. It was a bizarre detail in the middle of such a nice restaurant. Jigen grabbed for the back of his chair, cutting Lupin off.

“What? No! Why?”

Jigen was too embarrassed to say that it sounded nice. But it felt weird to ask, or even imagine.

Lupin pouted, hands still reaching for the chair. “Cuz that’s what I always do on dates! You said you wanted a date.”

“I do. I dunno. Sorry.” Jigen pulled out his own chair and slumped into it. He fiddled with his lighter cap, but he didn’t pull out a cigarette.

“I guess I want it to still be the same. Us I mean.”

“The same?! Really?! Then... what’re you getting out of this that we didn’t have before? We went to hundreds of restaurants all over the world together before this. You wouldn’t let me rent a limo, you said you’re paying for half, you won’t even let me get your chair for you!” Lupin tried not to sound too frustrated, but he hated when his little romantic gestures fell flat. “What makes this one a date?” 

Jigen’s brim was low, and he pulled it down further. He waited for Lupin to keep going. Lupin couldn’t stand silence, so all he had to do was outwait him. But a pair of well-dressed arms crossed themselves. Jigen couldn’t see Lupin’s face, but he could hear the huff. Lupin was serious. And he wasn’t even sitting down yet.

Jigen relented, and muttered from under the brim of his hat. 

“What makes it different is that we both know it is one. Simple as that.”

Lupin knew the waver in his partner’s voice. Even if Lupin didn’t really get it, it was important to Jigen. His shoulders softened. That was enough for him.

“Okay.” Lupin acquiesced and slid into his own chair, “no stealing off my plate though.”

Jigen looked up at him with a competitive grin, “I said I wanted things to be the same. So if you don’t want me taking anything, you better eat fast.”


	5. Blackmail Material

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fujiko takes care of Goemon.
> 
> A FujiGoe gift fic for TheAbbeyRoadie on Twitter

Goemon winced as Fujiko pulled another shard of glass from his arm.

“All done.” She had a smile in her voice, though Goemon stared at his knees, he couldn’t look her in the face.

“Thank you, Fujiko.” 

“It’s fine. You need to be more careful, what if people find out you’re not invincible?” She laughed, wrapping a bandage tightly over the wound and giving the spot a little peck with her lips.

“That is not funny.”

Fujiko put both hands on his cheeks to finally meet his eyes. “Cheer up! You’re fine, aren’t you? Lets just have fun, we’re on vacation.”

“It’s inexcusable.” Goemon muttered, forcing his gaze downward.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell them you drunkenly tripped over a glass table. But it’s gonna cost you, samurai.” Fujiko winked and lightly kissed his quickly flushed cheek.

“How much?” He gulped.


	6. A Menace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata gets rescued.

Zenigata was only slightly conscious, but he heard the echoes of Lupin’s voice, faintly. He said something like, “About to regret it.”

Zenigata wanted to say he already regretted it. But his mouth only managed a hoarse groan. He tried to open his eyes, they felt heavy, blurred vision, a red jacket and a lot more people in the room wearing black. He knew he’d been hit in the head and his body felt like he was buried in snow. He couldn’t lift his arms.

The loud sounds of gunshots were clear enough for him to distinguish, but he was too tired to stay awake any longer, even with all the noise and commotion that followed.

He woke up groggy, cramped in the backseat of a Fiat. Turning his head he saw Lupin at the wheel, smoking furiously. Driving over the speed limit.

“Lupin slow down...”

“Pops?” Lupin sounded relieved. He lifted his foot off the gas and turned his head to look at him. A smile crossing onto his dirty, bruised face.

“You didn’t have to come help me.” Zenigata muttered.

“Is that a thank you?” Lupin beamed at him teasingly. The sort of smile that made you want to deny him the satisfaction.

“Hell no. And keep your eyes on the road, you’re a menace to society.” Zenigata grumbled, but he couldn’t fully hide his own small smile back.


	7. Glimpse at His Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jigen learns a little bit about Lupin's past.
> 
> JigLup fic gift for tabbiewolf on Twitter

Jigen swirled his drink, smug. “You’re no saint either.”

Lupin laughed, giving his own drink a cavalier flourish. “Would you believe I came from a Catholic orphanage?”

“I would believe it. But I would also believe you came straight from hell itself.” Jigen smirked back at him, though a bit of him was surprised that Lupin was sharing anything about himself that sounded even remotely true.

“That’s what the nuns said!” Lupin put his fingers up on either side of his head as fake horns and gave his most sadistic cackle. “Petit démon!”

Lupin chuckled and wiggled his demon-horns. It had been only a moment, but Jigen could feel the small, nearly imperceptible note of tension in the air. Lupin always played to an audience, but this was a touch more than his usual cavorting.

Both of them didn’t share much about their pasts, and Jigen was grateful for this bit of playful honesty. He supposed he owed Lupin some truth in return, but his past was all sad stories. And while Lupin knew how to swing something depressing into something hilarious, Jigen wasn’t nearly as skilled at it.

“Much more demon than saint.” Jigen indulged the clowning gestures with a loud laugh. It was the least he could do to repay him for the little glimpse of intimacy.

The tiny tension dissipated as Lupin’s smile grew. Right answer. No need to plumb the depths.

Just a tiny bit closer.


	8. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jigen and Goemon sharing a movie.
> 
> JiGoe fic requested by Burlamacca_1873 on Twitter

“Popcorn?” Jigen leaned the popcorn toward Goemon, who was putting in the Kurosawa film they picked.

The bag was massive, and the buttery, salty aroma was enticing. Such decadence.

He turned up his nose. “Disgusting...”

“Come on, I know you like popcorn,” Jigen complained, mouth already full. “ What’re you being like that for?”

Goemon’s face settled into a frown. “I do not like having greasy fingers.”

“I can solve that,” Jigen plucked a single kernel from the bag and held it close to Goemon’s lips. “Say ‘ahhh’.”

Goemon blushed deeply, but Jigen wasn’t budging. So he obliged and opened his mouth a bit.

“Ahh..”

His fingers moved just a little, and Goemon tasted the butter even before he could feel the kernel on his tongue.

“There, hands clean.”


	9. LuZeni Express

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata captured Lupin, now he's trying to transport him.

Lupin was caught. Under lock and key. But Zenigata knew better than to declare victory yet. This train ride was long, but Zenigata had set it all up as carefully as possible. He couldn’t make it easy for Lupin’s gang to find him, so each train car was identical, down to the number of passengers inside (two), and absolutely no windows for prying eyes or prying fingers. The master thief had been stowed relatively toward the middle of the ten-car train, in the third from the end. Lupin himself had been bound with multiple padlocks, a veritable cocoon of chains, and was guarded personally by Zenigata’s own watchful eye.

Lupin began the trip in a sour mood, but the man wasn’t the sort to stay gloomy forever. The train thudded along the track for two hours, and Lupin’s mood steadily improved. Occasionally he laughed at nothing at all, leaving Zenigata to feel as though some large, inside joke were progressing, with him on the outside. The train entered a tunnel, and Zenigata knew that the route was taking them under a mountain, away from backup. Deep into a tunnel, the lights overhead flickered, dimmed, and the train screeched to a halt, the sudden force throwing both men to the floor.

In the pitch-black of the train, Zenigata could hear cries of shock coming from the other cars. Someone sounded an alarm. Someone else said to belay it. In the corridor outside, feet were running up and down.

Mere feet away from Zenigata, rather a lot of chains rustled, then deposited themselves back on the floor.

“Lupin!”

Zenigata scrambled to his feet, reached inside his coat, and removed a flashlight, illuminating the compartment with a weak beam. The light gleamed off the pile of chains.

Chains which were still wrapped tightly, securely, around the thief.

Lupin had merely stood up, and gone back to his seat. No escape attempts, no tricks. He smiled, an almost apologetic look on his face.

Zenigata huffed, and sat back in his own seat, flashlight not budging, locked onto Lupin as firmly as the chains.

“Hey, isn’t it, ‘Innocent until proven guilty,’ Pops?”


	10. Letting Him Believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata grapples with Lupin's hatred.
> 
> TW: Implied Character Death

Zenigata wasn’t sure Lupin would ever speak to him again.

Lupin had been sitting in his cell in silence. He refused to even look at Zenigata when he brought him meals. The look on Lupin’s face hadn’t changed, not since the moment it all happened. There was something restrained about it, the sort of tight lid that Lupin pulled over any strong, genuine emotion. But only barely. A silent malice, weaponized to harm more than shouts or insults. Zenigata could neither blame Lupin, nor make peace with it. But there was also nothing to be done to fix it.

Zenigata was doing what Jigen asked him to do, what the man himself said he wanted. He could only save one of them.

Yes, he would and did selfishly choose Lupin. And that’s what Lupin thought he had done, but he didn’t understand. Lupin didn’t have to look in the eyes of his co-conspirator, his hat lost in the chaos, grinding his teeth together, begging. Knowing full well that it was him or Lupin. Knowing that if Lupin knew what he’d asked Zenigata to do, it would break something deep inside the thief. It would be the sort of guilt he couldn’t bury. Lupin stole and cheated and left destruction in his wake, but he didn’t view himself as a bad guy.

Zenigata’s throat was one big lump. He knew that that much guilt risked turning Lupin into something terrible. The would-be superhero, a self-admitted villain.

And Jigen, he didn’t care what Lupin was. He just couldn’t bear the thought of Lupin in that much pain.

So someone needed to be the bad guy. Someone else.

Zenigata looked up, and caught Lupin’s icy stare on him.

Lupin liked to get chatty when facing down villains. Maybe on the day he killed Zenigata, he’d spare a last word for him.


	11. Mamo Prequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata is sure this man isn't Lupin... he has to be sure.
> 
> TW: Character Death

“Sir, Lupin is going to be executed this week.”

The call stabbed his heart, and the hand clutching the phone was sweaty. It couldn’t be Lupin. The man looked just like him. Sounded like him. Fingerprints matched. Zenigata looked into his brown eyes. They glittered, the same way his did.

But it wasn’t Lupin.

The day he was scheduled to hang, Zenigata watched with fingers clenched together so tightly that it hurt. He had to hold back his own hands from moving to stop it. Even if it was some kind of trick, it was excruciating to watch. Wasn’t it what he deserved? He had thought so once. It was the end goal he always knew loomed over their relationship. But he denied it until he found himself sitting right there, watching.

The imposter climbed the steps to the gallows, and a sinister voice in his mind whispered,

“It could be Lupin.” 

Zenigata looked away. It wasn’t. It couldn’t be him. He refused to doubt himself now, to believe that in that moment he was sitting quietly and letting them kill his main reason for living.

Every news outlet reported his death. Everyone accepted the evidence. It was airtight. Zenigata even watched the autopsy. They didn’t peel away a mask, just a layer of skin, around teeth that should be smirking.

When Zenigata vomited, he barely made it to the trash in the bathroom. And he knew then, too. If it had really been Lupin, the feeling would have overcome him on the spot.

The world believed Lupin the Third was dead. Except for one man... the one man who refused to believe it.

If only for his own sanity.


	12. The Comfort of Being With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jigen has trouble sleeping, but finds comfort in his partner.
> 
> JigLup gift fic for my wife, Alexis Royce.

Jigen woke with a start. He instinctively reached for his magnum, which he put in the same spot every single night; touched the cold metal. Just to be safe. He snorted out a soft breath, his hand abandoning the quest for his weapon. There was no threat. Just a tense mind.

He looked over and saw Lupin, snoring softly. It was nice to know he slept so soundly. It made him feel less guilty for moving around in bed. Always sleeping so lightly that the sound of a car outside might force him awake, blood surging, combat ready. He used to wake up like this alone. He’d sit on the end of his bed and smoke until he could get his tense body to relax. 

But now he could glance over and see him. Lupin’s sleeping form the very picture of tranquility. It softened Jigen’s knotted shoulders, the way his lips hummed in gentle peaceful slumber.

Jigen lazily sat up and lit a cigarette. Let the smoke drift out of their open window. He might not get back to sleep. But with Lupin here, his thoughts were softly drifting nuisances, rather than a hive of angry hornets.

He yawned as the cigarette shrank down to an unusable white stub. He flicked it out the window, laid back in their bed. Sniffed Lupin’s pillow. The hideout was new, so the pillow didn’t really smell like him yet. But with a little more time, Lupin’s influence would ebb into it, too. Soon enough, it would.


	13. Lupin Peeps on Pops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lupin finds Zenigata in the midst of an embarrassing personal moment.
> 
> Heads up: Vaguely NSFW

It had been quite a chase that day, and Lupin was pissed off. Far too much to sleep. He snuck out after the rest of the gang had settled in for some ‘needed’ rest. Why they wanted to laze about after a failed heist, he couldn’t understand. Zenigata’s cuffs had missed his wrist, but they did fasten securely on their loot du jour: a rather magnificent golden crown. It was a compromise, a frustrated Jigen had assured them both. Pops didn’t get what he wanted, and they didn’t get what they wanted.

Lupin the Third did not “compromise.”

He knew exactly where Zenigata’s hotel room was, and he planned to go in and steal something or at least leave a note, just to drive the old man crazy when he woke up.

He scaled to the third floor with relative ease. The night was warm and his window was open. Easier than he expected. He grinned mischievously listening to hear the rumbling snores of a dead-tired inspector.

From his perch under the windowsill Lupin heard instead. a grunt of frustration. A series of increasingly sped up breaths. It was only when he heard his name growled quietly that he decided to interrupt.

“Lupin...”

“Pops, you should say it louder next time if you want me to hear, usually I’m not this close.”

As Lupin pulled himself up into view, Zenigata’s face was instantly pink, as blood rushed to it and away from elsewhere. He had yanked the bed sheets up to cover himself the second he heard someone speak, dizzy from the sudden rush.

Lupin smirked, crouched in the window frame. “And you doing that all alone, you got their crown back for them! You should be at a little victory party right now but no one was even grateful enough to give you something nicer than a hotel room without air conditioning. Tsk...” 

“LUPIN!”

Lupin’s eyes fondled and squeezed everything they looked at. When he appraised jewels, he could feel them in his hands. When he stared at a safe, he was already anticipating the force of the tumblers. When he looked at a woman, he was- if we’re charitable and somewhat censored- thinking of soft hair and nipples he could roll between his fingertips.

He looked at Zenigata. He didn’t budge from the window, but Zenigata watched as those two pupils darted about his bulky frame. It wasn’t often that Zenigata wished that he didn’t know Lupin so well. Anticipating Lupin’s precise actions in any given situation was his well-trod area of expertise.

The eyes roved over him, and Lupin’s smirk broadened, and Zenigata could read it all, could feel Lupin’s hands on all the places Lupin was inspecting and groping in his mind.

He pulled the sheets up higher, and closed his eyes to yell, hoping that one of those would fend off the stare before his embarrassment overwhelmed him. “I don’t care about the crown! I almost caught you, you slimy little weasel!”

“I think we can both agree, if anyone caught anyone?”

Lupin let out a low chuckle. Zenigata made the mistake of opening his eyes again, seeing Lupin's smirking face.

“I just caught YOU.”


	14. A Bad Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lupin has a troubling vision of what happens when you lie to yourself.

He was running. They must be running, because they were being chased.

Jigen, Fujiko, and Goemon were by his side, and from somewhere behind him he heard pounding feet, and familiar shouting. 

“Lupin!”

They ran into a cave, only lit by the cigarette clenched in Jigen’s teeth. Light glinted off the damp walls, catching the edges of hands, hat brims, and skirt hems. A motley, scrambling crew, capable and comfortable.

He grinned, and turned to sneak a glimpse of Fujiko. She always looked so alluring in firelight.

There was Jigen, half-burned cig in hand. There was Goemon, keeping a stealthy ninja stride.

But no Fujiko.

Lupin shrugged. “I’m sure she had somewhere else to be.”

They ran deeper and deeper into the darkness, but the shouts only grew louder.

“Stop! Thief!”

He was starting to feel burning in his calves, sweat on his brow. He heard a bullet hiss through the air near him. He turned to complain to Goemon. Someone was slacking on defense. But the samurai was no longer next to him.

“Ah well, sometimes having his help makes it too easy!”

And he kept running.

The sound of two men breathing hard became more clear as the shouting stopped. The echo of footsteps behind them faded.

“Lucky us! Zenigata must have gotten tired.”

He slowed, panting and looked over to Jigen, but the light of his glowing cigarette was gone, and the only breathing was his own.

“He was always quiet. I-I’ll barely notice he’s gone.”

Swallowed in the dark. The cave was silent. He was lying.


	15. Return of Melon Cop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenigata's partner from his early days on the Lupin case reappears...

Zenigata was in the middle of paperwork when a hand smacked down on the corner of his desk. He startled to attention, seeing a familiar cheshire grin under a patterned green beret.

“Melon?!”

“Zeni-baby! Long time no see!”

The grinning man shoved a stack of papers aside, disrupting Zenigata’s last hopes of an orderly desk, and deposited himself right in the center of what had been Zenigata’s “To Do” section.

“I heard you stole my handcuff techniques and you aren’t even crediting me! Rude stuff, Zeni. Became a thief while I was gone.”

Zenigata watched, confused and frowning, as several stacks of paper fell to the floor.

“.... Melon? You disappeared without a trace, where have you been all this time?” 

Ignoring the question, Melon grinned. “You know what else I heard? You still haven’t caught Lupin. Shameful, real shameful, Zeni-baby.” He leaned in close to Zenigata’s face. 

“Seems like you need some help.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading these and to the multiple people who inspired me with neat ideas! Minifics are usually posted to my Twitter first and I later polish them and post them here for easier accessibility. If you want to see these or request one when I open up requests, I'm over at TsushiSmut (NSFW account warning). I'll likely have another collection in a few months when I have enough to post again.


End file.
